Naturalists in court today asking Nova Scotia L&F to enforce its own regulations for protecting Species-at-Risk 23 Sep2019

Posted on September 23, 2019 by admin

Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft, as President of Nature Nova Scotia, is one of the applicants together with the Blomidon Naturalists Society and the Halifax Field Naturalists. They are being represented by Jamie Simpson of Juniper Law and the case is being handled by East Coast Environmental Law. In the Photo: Bancroft talking about cavity dwellers in a talk to the Friends of Redtail Society in 2013.


UPDATE Sep 24, 2019:
Province argues duties under Nova Scotia’s Endangered Species Act not ‘mandatory’
By Haley Ryan for The Star Halifax, Sep 23, 2019. The article provides details of the arguments put forth on both sides. “The hearing will resume on Oct. 1, when Smith is expected to finish his submissions and Simpson can enter a reply.”

——–

From East Coast Environmental Law (ECELAW) today:

Today, we go to court on behalf of those who cannot advocate for themselves.

For many years we have witnessed the provincial government’s failure to take the steps required by their own law to protect at risk species in Nova Scotia. Time is running out.

Several months ago we wrote the Minister of Lands and Forestry and included a copy of our latest Protected on Paper Only report. We called on the Minister to meet his legal obligations under the Endangered Species Act to complete the 19 recovery plans and 4 management plans that are currently overdue. These plans are the first steps to recover and protect endangered, threatened and vulnerable species in Nova Scotia.
Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, L&F | Comments Off on Naturalists in court today asking Nova Scotia L&F to enforce its own regulations for protecting Species-at-Risk 23 Sep2019

Fri Sep 20 to Fri Sep 27, 2019: A week of Climate Action globally and in Nova Scotia

Posted on September 19, 2019 by admin

UPDATES:
– 9 Aerial Shots Of Canada’s Climate Marches That Are Absolutely Breathtaking (PHOTOS)
Lisa Belmonte on narcity.com/ Sep 28, 2019

– ‘Let’s hope everyone hears us’: Students take climate strikes to the streets of N.S.
Emma Davie · CBC News, Sep 27, 2019

—–

‘Would be nice to see the Premier and Government Ministers join the event on Sep. 27, and for them to encourage civil servants to do the same

The Big Day is Friday, Sep 27, 2019, but there are many other related events on other days.

View:

– Daily Events, Halifax Area

– Valley Bus to Global Climate Strike in Halifax (Facebook Link)
Sep 27, 2019

– Cobequid Climate Summit (Facebook Link)
Saturday at 1 PM – 4 PM
NSCC Truro Campus
36 Arthur Street, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 1X5

Tatamagouche Community Water Walk(Facebook Link) Sep 21, 2019
Hannah Martin is organizing the first Water Walk to take place in Taqamiju’jk (Tatamagouche)! 🌊🐟💧 Come walk together in ceremony for the protection of our sacred water, in resistance of irresponsible resource extraction and to raise awareness of the proposed gold mine in Warwick Mountain!
Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Conservation | Comments Off on Fri Sep 20 to Fri Sep 27, 2019: A week of Climate Action globally and in Nova Scotia

Canada’s National Forestry Database: new way of assessing area harvested in Nova Scotia introduced for 2017 16Sep2019

Posted on September 16, 2019 by admin

It seems that the change in the way the area clearcut, in particular, was estimated in 2017 compared to earlier years indicates that the area of land clearcut on private land had been over-estimated in earlier years.

Clearcut on Crown Land in 2014.

I have not accessed the National Forestry Database for some time and the format has changed from the readily available and copyable compilations to an interactive format that, well, involves some frustration in learning how to use it.

I had to install “Tableau” to view the stats in a form that is easy to copy by screen capture.(Printing out stats from the NFD webpages just doesn’t work properly, you get only parts of the tables; I haven’t figured out yet how/if you can print it out from Tableau.)  Also, I had lots of difficulties getting the desired language in all places etc., and units are not given in the headings. The Tableau program will prove clunky on slower computers.

Anyway, leaving those difficulties aside, there was an interesting change in the way the area harvested on private lands in NS was calculated in 2017, the latest year for which the stats are available: Continue reading →

Posted in clearcuts | Comments Off on Canada’s National Forestry Database: new way of assessing area harvested in Nova Scotia introduced for 2017 16Sep2019

Nova Scotia Government issues a RFP – Assessing the Potential for Carbon Offset Credit Generation in Nova Scotia 16Sep2019

Posted on September 16, 2019 by admin

The “RFP Particulars” should be made publicly available; we are all stakeholders when it comes to climate change

Update (Sep 20, 2019): Nova Scotia asking for input on carbon credit opportunities
Stuart Peddle in the Chronicle Herald, Sep 19, 2019
Update (Sep 17, 2019)

——-

As issued on service.ariba.com on 13Sep2019:

Thx to Halifax Examiner/The Morning File for this one.
Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, Climate Change | Comments Off on Nova Scotia Government issues a RFP – Assessing the Potential for Carbon Offset Credit Generation in Nova Scotia 16Sep2019

The Elephant in the Room: what happens to the Lahey Report if The Mill closes? 16Sep2019

Posted on September 16, 2019 by admin

Asks Aaron Beswick in the Chronicle Herald: “So what happens to the Lahey Report’s lofty goals if a million tonnes a year of demand for softwood chips and low quality wood disappears from the market on Jan. 31, 2020?”

Good question. View:

Province silent on implementing Lahey report without Northern Pulp
Aaron Beswick in Chronicle Herald Sep 16, 2019

A few extracts from the article:

Northern Pulp’s owner has been vague about whether the corresponding mill closure will be permanent if it doesn’t get an extension to the Boat Harbour Act to allow it to continue operations while it builds (if granted environmental approval) a highly controversial new facility that would dump treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait.
Continue reading →

Posted in Ind Rev Post-Report, Independent Review, Private Woodlots, Pulp & Paper | Comments Off on The Elephant in the Room: what happens to the Lahey Report if The Mill closes? 16Sep2019

Fires in the Amazonian and Boreal Forests: more reason to increase carbon storage in our Acadian forest by “proforestation” 26Aug2019

Posted on August 26, 2019 by admin

Curved arrows represent biologically mediated flows of GHGs: the straight arrow, industrial emissions of GHGs; and the symbols at bottom right, long term sequestration of carbon in the oceans. Carbon dioxide is the most important GHG in relation to forestry.

It’s so convenient, sometimes,  to point the finger elsewhere. Recently  I read that “Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron agree: Amazon wildfires are an ‘international crisis’ (Global News, Aug 22, 2019)

Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest – the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire. It is an international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let’s discuss this emergency first order in two days! – Tweet by Emanuel Macron, re-tweeted by Justin Trudeau

I wonder whether Mr. Trudeau  is aware that Canada’s Boreal Forest, once called (with boreal forest in Russia) the ‘northern lungs of the world’ (CBC News, 2002) Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Climate Change, Fire, Show Us the Science | Comments Off on Fires in the Amazonian and Boreal Forests: more reason to increase carbon storage in our Acadian forest by “proforestation” 26Aug2019

Bright spots in Nova Scotia forestry are on private lands 22Aug2019

Posted on August 22, 2019 by admin

A pamphlet announcing the Woodland Owner of the Year Award arrived in my mailbox yesterday, and finally gave me some good news about forestry in NS to celebrate.

The online announcement is here

The 2019 award goes to Spence Managed Forest of Ellershouse, West Hants County which won the Central Region Award, and in turn the Provincial Award,

The Spences are third generation woodland owners of a beautiful and diverse 2000-acre property that has top tier management help from Jim Bremner (a South Central WOYA winner for 1995) and Jason Casey.
Continue reading →

Posted in L&F, Private Woodlots | Comments Off on Bright spots in Nova Scotia forestry are on private lands 22Aug2019

Nova Scotia Harvest Plan Map Viewer now specifies % retention 17Aug2019

Posted on August 17, 2019 by admin

Addendum on Aug 18, 2019

It’s not multi-age management and it’s not a substitute for implementing Irregular Shelterwood systems as recommended by Lahey and Seymour

L&F’s illustration of A “variable retention prescription with 10% retention left standing”. The latest HPMV notification cites 91% of the proposed harvests on 350 ha as VR 10%.

As of July 18, 2019, L&F made a “minor” update in the HPMV. From the e-mail sent out on July 18, 2019 to subscribers to map update notifications (see Harvest Operation Maps webpage to subscribe):

…the Harvest Plans Map Viewer (HPMV) will receive a minor update on July 18, 2019. The update involves labelling the percent retention of proposed plans with a Variable Retention (VR) prescription.

The percent retention of these proposed plans will be seen in two locations:
Continue reading →

Posted in clearcuts, HPMV, Ind Rev Post-Report | Comments Off on Nova Scotia Harvest Plan Map Viewer now specifies % retention 17Aug2019

Trump & Co. want changes in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 9Aug2019

Posted on August 9, 2019 by admin

As irrational as it is, the stronger the evidence gets that we are in the midst of a human-caused Mass Extinction, the more pressure there is to reduce existing protections of biodiversity

A male black-throated blue warbler, protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, perches above his female mate sitting on her eggs on the next. Is it too much for humans to consider the lives of wild things before we destroy their homes with little thought for their future or even of the sustainability of a healthy environment for ourselves? – Scott Leslie

Nova Scotia is not the only place where the Migratory Bird Convention Act (known in the U.S. as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act) has raised some hackles recently, both for and agin.

View: Defending The Migratory Bird Treaty Act And Clean Water: Our Conservation Science Director Testifies To Congress
By Winny Sun, June 18m 2019 for The CornellLab of Ornithology’s All About Birds. An extract:

Amanda Rodewald, senior director of conservation science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, was at the nation’s Capitol last week to defend two core conservation policies at risk of reinterpretation and weakening by the current presidential administration.
Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes, Social Media, Social Values | Comments Off on Trump & Co. want changes in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 9Aug2019

More on The Human Toll of clearcuts in Nova Scotia: B-trains on rural roads 7Aug2019

Posted on August 7, 2019 by admin

An issue raised on Social Media elicits an on-the-ground response within 24 hours

It started with a post by Bev Wigney of the Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology Public Facebook Group yesterday, commenting on a member [SES] who

… lives in West Dalhousie on land adjacent to Crown Land.

Unfortunately, there is a road right through her property – it is a municipal road but it does cross through her land right beside her house — between her house and other buildings.

The logging trucks are supposed to respect this situation, but they don’t. The forest beyond her property used to be Bowater land, but since the Crown took over, the trucks using the road have been totally disrespectful — driving far too fast on a very narrow road. The road is being destroyed and not maintained.
Continue reading →

Posted in clearcuts, Social Media, Social Values, WestFor | Comments Off on More on The Human Toll of clearcuts in Nova Scotia: B-trains on rural roads 7Aug2019